Ryan Newman, second from left, talks to a crew member while watching qualifying for The Tums 500 Sprint Cup NASCAR race at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., in 2009.

Five Republican lawmakers from Houston are in agreement: No federal funding for public radio. No federal funding for family planning or abortion services. But when it comes to using your tax dollars to sponsor NASCAR …. vroooooooooooooooom, they’re off and racing!

Reps. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, John Culberson, R-Houston, Michael McCaul, R-Austin, Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, and Ted Poe, R-Humble all voted recently for measures to eliminate federal dollars earmarked for National Public Radio and Planned Parenthood. But they just said no to slamming the brakes on the Defense Department’s multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with NASCAR racing teams.

One area Republican, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, voted against providing federal funds for any of the programs.

But the five pro-NASCAR Republicans said there was a difference. Culberson said that while NPR and Planned Parenthood are ideological or partisan, NASCAR sponsorship is a “successful and proven” tool for military recruitment.

“With our nation now engaged in three wars, the military should have the manpower it needs to support its missions,” he said.

Houston’s Democrats say they’re pro-troops and pro-NASCAR, too.

“I don’t have any problem with (our military) reaching out to different audiences (for recruitment),” said Gene Green. NASCAR’s popularity presents a great outreach opportunity to get “young people interested in a military career.”

It’s not unusual for Democrats from Harris County to work together with Republicans &#151 typically on NASA or energy issues, Green said. “But I’m glad that even on NASCAR, we agree.”

The proposed NASCAR amendment to the House spending bill was sponsored by Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn. It failed to pass, with 148 votes in support and 281 against.

The Republican-backed proposals to strip public funding from Planned Parenthood, NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcast won House approval but face strong opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

“For years, American taxpayers have subsidized Planned Parenthood and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds (NPR) with hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Culberson, R-Houston. “At a time when our budget is drowning in red ink, it is outrageous that any amount of taxpayer money is being used to fund an organization that provides abortions or promotes a partisan agenda.”